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APPARATUS POR GALVANIZING STRIPS. No. 537,425. Patented Apr. 9,1895..A

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T. V. ALLIS.

APPARATUS POR GALVANIZING STRIPS. No. 537,425. Patented Apr. 9, 1895'.

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APPARATUS POP GALVANIZING STRIPS. l

No. 587,425. Patented Apr. 9, 18915.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS V. ALLIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR GALVANIZING STRIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,425, dated. April 9, 1.895. Application filed April 19, 1894. Serial No. 508,159. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS V. ALLIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Galvanizing Strips, of which the following is a specification.

My invention comprises improvements in galvanizing appliances, and apparatus for wiping and smoothing the coatings of zinc or spelter on iiat strips as hereinafter fully described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a plan view of the galvanizing bath and appliances for treating the coated strips, and to wipe olf the surplus spelter and smooth the strips as they issue therefrom. Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1, with one of the sinkers shown in upright position (dotted) as when not in use, and set for avoiding the injurious eects of molten spelter and for convenience in removing dross. Fig. 3, is an end elevation. Fig. 4, is a side elevation of wipers for a flat strip detached and enlarged, with part of a strip between them. Fig. 5, is a cross section of a pair of such wipers having tongued and grooved faces, as they may be arranged. Fig. 6, represents the wipers of Fig. 5 detached from each other and in perspective view. Fig. '7,

is a detail of the wiping and smoothing ap paratus in section on line y-y Figs. l and 2. Fig. S, is a plan view of a piece of barbed fencing and spring wipers for wiping the edges of such irregular forms, or for other plain strips. Fig. 9, is a side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 8, without the barbed strip. Fig. 10, is a front elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 9, without the spring wipers. Fig. 11, is a transverse section of the galvanizing pan and also of the setting. Fig. 12, is aside elevation of some of the appliances of the galvanizing bath with one of the gates open (dotted) for adjustment of the wipers, strips or wires, and means for working the gate.

, The pan a, for holding the molten zinc "or spelter is arranged in a brick setting b, having a metallic coping plate c, the top of the pan being ush with the top of said coping plate, and a iire chamber d, is provided at each side in which coke fires are maintained for keeping the spelter in the `proper molten condition, suitable draft openings e, being provided in the sides of the setting for the supply of air and for removal of ashes. At one end of the pan or a little in advance of it, carrying rolls f are arranged for the strips or wires g, to run on in passingover the end of the pan into the bath, said strips or wires being caused to pass under sinkers h, to be immersed in the molten spelter bath. These sinkers consist of plates of metal suspended from cross bars z, and suitably curved in the lower portions, preferably in the direction of the movement of the strips, to give greater wearing surface and enable the strips or wires to run freely.

The bars il, are detaehably and revolubly supported near their ends in the yjaws j, mounted on the coping plate c, at each side of the pan, and they are secured by the pins k, against the tendency of the strips or wires to turn the sinkers out of position by the friction of the strips or wiresbut the pins are removable so that the sinkers maybe turned upward as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 2, and supported above the spelter when not in use, for protection against the injurious action of molten spelter. ,After passing under the second sinker the strips or wires running in the direction of arrows are drawn upward out of the bath to be wiped of the surplus spelter and smoothed, for which I employ wipers and smoothers of novel character as compared with the pads or coils of refractory fibrous materials or coiled wires commonlyA used in galvanizing wire. These wipers are especially adapted for flat Astrips as g. They consist of one or more pairs of fiat plates as Z, m, placed to form an acute angle to the strip passing between them, the edges forming the apex of the angle bear on the sides of the strips respectively and thus Wipe off the excess of spelter in a manner adapted to produce a durable and adhesive coating by the eect of the angular relation of the surfaces of the wipers to the strip, thus making the plating very smooth.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I represent a series of three pairs of these wipers through which the strips passsuccessively. The lower, wipers Z, are supported at the ends in the side plates n, set up IOO edgewise and attached to the pan d, and they are of suitable length to serve for several strips running side by side for which the rest ofthe apparatus is adapted. In this example I represent provisions for wiping three strips at a time, but more may be added.

The upper wipers m, are short plates adapted for one strip only, and they are mounted in separate gates o, one for each strip supported at one end on the pivot rod p, for being adjusted toward and from the wipers Z, to vary the pressure of said wipers on the strips. The gates have a wire rope o connected at the free end and looped over an overhead pulley p by which to raise the gates and swing them back to rest on the bar a2 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l2, when required for adjusting the wipers or strips.

It will be seen that the edges of the wipers m, taking effect on the strips terminate a little short of the edges of blades Z. This is to avoid contact which would otherwise occur each side of the strips after a little wear limiting further adjustment, but for some purposes the blades may meet at said edges. The wipers m, are pressed down on the strips by the sliding wedges q supported in standards g2, and arranged to bear on the free ends of the gates at s, said ends and the wedges being suitably beveled for the purpose. The wedges being in this case arranged in the vertical planes of the strips or wires, are forked as at q to reach past the strips for taking effect on the gates, but only one prong is necessary, and any other approved means of pressing down the gates may be employed.

Both series of wipers are in inclined planes parallel to the inclined plane of the strips rising out of the bath and the gates are made in offset or stepped form with slide ways t, in each offset part to receive the wipers m, which being inserted therein from the open ends of the slide ways-see Fig. Q-are secured by the set screws u, adjustably, relatively to the wipers Z. These wipers may be tongued and grooved as represented in Figs. 5 and 6, or have any other approved arrangement by which they will present wiping faces or walls to the edges of the strips as well as the sides when the edges are plain but spring wipers as fu, may be used for the edges of strips, particularly for barbed Istrips as w, Fig. S, these being located a little farther along the courses of the strips as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. They are supported in studs y and secured detachably by set screws z, the studs being held in the supporting block a by a tenon Z9 fastened by a set screw c so that the studs can be turned and adjusted to cause the springs to bear with more or less pressure on the edges of the strips. The blocks d are carried on the bar CZ supported on the posts e and are secured thereon ad justably by the set screws f permitting the blocks to be adjusted laterally for alignment with the wipers m Owing to the acute angular arrangement of the wipers Z, m, there is a much greater mass of surplus semi-molten spelter in a plastic condition lodging between them and 'the strip as seen at g in Fig. 4, which of itself constitutes a wiper and adds to the wiping and smoothing effect, and these wipers are preferred for this reason.

I am aware of the patent to Johns, No. 157,687, in which parallel plates are shown having V shaped wiping or scraping ribs located at the receiving extremities of the plates and forming a flaring guide way for receiving the edges of tin plates issuing from the rolls, and directing them between the wipers and I do not claim such devices. The edges of my improved wipers are lnade to impinge on the strips, so that being shifted forward as they wear away, they will serve indefinitely, and being reversed sidewise from time to time they are self sharpening by wear, whereas the wiping ribs of the said patent are liable to become flat and useless with wear.

Iclaim as my inventionl. In a plant for galvanizing flat strips, the combination of a spelter holding pan, means to sink the strips in the molten metal, and one or more wipers for the opposite sides of the strips, said wipers consisting of upper and lower plain metallic plates placed in acute angular relation diverging the entire width of the plates in the direction from which the strips come to the wipers, and adapted for the converging edges to impinge on the strips, thus providing a large open angular space between said plates to collect and retain masses of surplus semi-molten or plastic spelter in advance of the impinging edges to assist in wiping substantially as described.

2. In a plant for galvanizing flat strips, the combination of the spelter holding pan, means to sink the strips in the molten spelter, and two or more pairs of wipers placed at intervals in an ascending plane, said wipers consisting of plain metallic plates placed in acute angular relation with the edges arranged to impinge on the strips and with an open angular space between said plates to collect and retain masses of surplus semi-molten or plastic spelter in advance of the impinging edges to assist in wiping substantially as described.

3. The combination with a series of ixed wipers of an adjustable gate and a series of wipers carried on said adjustable gate placed at intervals in an ascending plane, said wipers consisting of upper and lower plain metallic plates placed in acute angular relation with the edges arranged to impinge on the strips, and with an open angular space between said plates to collect and retain masses of surplus semi-molten or plastic spelter in advance of the impinging edges to assist in wiping substantially as described.

4. In a galvanizing plant for treating a series of strips side by side, the combination of the spelter holding pan, means to sink the strips in the molten spelter, wipers consisting of long fixed plates for all the strips of the series on one side, and separate wipers for IOO IIO

the several strips on the other side and arranged at an acute angle to the strips which pass between them, the individual Wipers being adjustable relatively to the others, and a gate supporting the adjustable wipers substantially as described.

5. The combination with the fixed Wipers, of the offset or stepped adjustable gate having the wipers attached to the steps substantially as described.

6. The combination with the fixed Wipers, of the olset or stepped adjustable gate having the slide Ways in the osets for receiving the wipers, and the bindingscrews for holding said wipers substantially as described.

7. The combination with the fixed wipers, of the offset or stepped pivoted gates having the Wipers in the offsets, and the slide Wedges for controlling the gates said Wedges arranged to press the gates toward the fixed Wipers substantially as described.

8. The combination with the fixed wipers, of the oset or stepped pivoted gates having Y the wipers in the offsets, and the slide wedges for controlling the gates, said slide Wedges having one or more prongs reaching past the strips to take effect on the gates and arranged to press the gates toward the fixed Wipers substantially as described.

9. The combination with a galvanizing bath and means for galvanizing fiat strips, of side wipers, and edge wipers for the strips, said side and edge wipers placed independently of each other along the strip to lirst wipe the sides and afterward wipe the edges, the edge Wipers having elastic supports adapted to yield to material inequalities of the edges of the strips as barb points substantially as described.

10. The spring-edge Wipers mounted in the axially adjustable studs, said studs mounted in the blocks laterally adjustable relatively to the planes of the movements of the strips substantially as described.

1l. The combination with the galvanizing bath and the stationary wipers, of the pivoted gates, the adjustable Wipers therein, and the ropes and pulleys for actuating the gates substantially as described.

12. The combination with the galvanizing bath and means for galvanizing fiat strips, of fiat plate Wipers arranged at an acute angle to the strips which pass between them, and tongued and grooved for wiping the sides and edges of the strips substantially as described.

Signed at New York city,in the county and State of New York, this 18th day ot April, A. D. 1894.

THOMAS V. ALLIS.

Witnesses:

W. J. MORGAN, A. P. THAYER. 

